Apple iPad Air (5th Generation): with M1 chip, 10.9-inch Liquid Retina Display, 256GB, Wi-Fi 6 + 5G Cellular, 12MP front/12MP Back Camera, Touch ID, All-Day Battery Life – Space Gray

Performance is phenomenal. Thanks to the M1 chip, this tablet handles everything from heavy photo editing to intensive gaming with ease, offering Pro-level power in a lighter body. It’s incredibly fast and completely future-proof. The 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display is vibrant and sharp, perfect for media and creativity. It fully supports the Apple Pencil 2 and accessories like the Magic Keyboard, transforming it into a versatile work or study tool. An upgraded 12MP front camera with Center Stage makes video calls excellent. If you want a powerful, modern, and high-quality tablet without paying the price for an iPad Pro, the iPad Air 5 is the clear choice. It’s simply the best value iPad available.

This iPad is compatible with the Apple Pencil (2nd generation) which I strongly preferred over all the other pencils, so it was important to me to find an iPad that was compatible with that particular pencil. That pencil will magnetically attach to the iPad and will charge from the iPad rather than having to connect a charger to the pencil, so I thought that was neat. I use this iPad mainly for digital art, note taking, and writing books. It gets used for a 3-6 hours everyday and I always leave it turned on 24/7 and I only end up having to charge it every 3-4 days. I take it everywhere with me because while it’s not very small, it’s still smaller than any laptop and will fit in a large purse or tote that I carry around daily lol. It’s great for graphic designers, digital artists, and/or students who need to take notes, study, do projects, or write papers (get a keyboard case for typing) and so much more. When drawing and making my digital art, the pencil glides across the screen so smoothly like an ink pen on paper, there is no LAG, no funky looking results or anything when drawing, everything comes out the exact same way that I draw it on the screen. And this is way better than buying a graphic tablet and having to hook it up to a laptop or PC. I haven’t had a laggy experience with doing anything on the iPad at all so far. Everything loads up and syncs up quite quickly I just love it soooo much. I got the wifi+cellular one but I don’t use the cellular connection, only the wifi connection. But I got cellular anyway in case I change my mind one day if I find that relying heavily on wifi everywhere I go, just to use my iPad, is no longer an option. But I probably won’t though since my phone has a hotspot and majority of the time I just connect it to that if I’m not at home to use wifi, still works like a charm. I am very pleased with my purchase and this was 100% worth the money. I do wish I had more storage though, I got the 256GB one but I wish they made this model with 1TB or 2TB storage.. But I’m not complaining because I haven’t nearly run out of storage or anything, I’m just afraid that I will create so many files or download so many apps that one day I MIGHT actually run 🏃‍♂️ out 😅 but that day is probably a long way away.

This iPad Air is an absolute powerhouse and is able to accomplish so many of the things that you would typically do in your day to day that the Pro model almost doesn't seem worth it. To start, this iPad is thin, light, and takes up virtually no space in most work bags and backpacks. It is easy to take on the go, and the battery life is incredible. This iPad is also compatible with the Apple Pencil, which makes sketching and taking notes a simple task. For me, however, the best part about this iPad is the power under the hood. The M1 chip is capable of running virtually any iOS app flawlessly, and honestly makes the MacBook feel like an accessory. I've used this to play multiple mobile games with high frame rates, edit videos on the go, and for watching videos when sitting in waiting rooms. I haven't had any issues with apps slowing down or freezing, and it is capable of doing anything I need. When using it with an add-on keyboard, it really does make the MacBook and other computing devices feel obsolete as it has so much processing power even in 2024. The iPad also has a built-in front and rear camera for taking photos, recording videos or to FaceTime your coworkers or family. The quality of these cameras are not the greatest, but are still nice to have. The speakers also get very loud and sound good overall but there is a bit of thinness to some details in various movie scenes and songs. The only real complaint I have is the limited storage space, but as long as you aren't taking too many photos or working on too many projects at a time, the storage is more than enough. Overall, this iPad still holds its own in 2024, as when it is on sale, it is an absolute steal. I would highly recommend getting this for those uncertain on what to choose, and I must say I have been very happy with it!